


A Time For Promises

by Pfain Ryder (Cat_Moon)



Series: Angelfire Universe [3]
Category: Quantum Leap
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-28 14:52:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19396426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cat_Moon/pseuds/Pfain%20Ryder
Summary: At the Fiesta in Santa Fe, Al runs into someone he never expected to see again.  He keeps an old promise, and finds renewed strength to fight for Sam.





	A Time For Promises

**Author's Note:**

> Knowledge of the episode "Another Mother" is very helpful here.

I wandered through the streets with the revelers, wondering what I was doing there. We'd always gone to La Fiesta de Santa Fe together, since the start of Project Quantum Leap; however, this was the first time I was able to bring myself to go alone. I considered taking Tina...but it would've been like being unfaithful to Sam. It had been our time, a rare chance to unwind and forget about the work for awhile. Everyone thought I needed it. Beeks had been barely able to contain her enthusiasm when I told her I was going. She was overlooking one important fact --this getaway would hold no relaxation for me. Until Sam was home, there wasn't one micro-second out of the day I could forget the Project. I took it into every day, into my dreams, sometimes...even into the bedroom.

As I passed the rows of shops with their gaily-colored trinkets, voices rose from the past to haunt me, calling in a siren song I couldn't answer. So close, yet so far. The eternal question: could man master time? Maybe; Sam's smile was in the sun overhead, warming me as it seeped into my soul, his laughter in the music ringing through the old sidewalks. _To dream the impossible dream..._ I remembered the night I managed to get Sam royally drunk, and we'd both staggered along the streets, blissfully singing the entire score of "Man of La Mancha". If memory served, we even got a hand or two. He was so 'unwound' that night, I'd had to practically carry him back to the hotel. _He ain't heavy, he's my brother..._ And so much more.

A shadow passed over the sun and I found myself lonely again, wishing I was back at the Project. The closest thing to a vacation I got was when I was with Sam, sharing some brief moment of excitement, happiness, or triumph: winning a football game, playing in a rock concert, saving a life... Those were the moments I lived for. Yet I felt compelled to make this pilgrimage.

I passed our friend Zozobra, the forty-foot effigy the town would be burning later. He was what had first attracted Sam to Fiesta. With a face full of enchanted delight, he'd insisted that the legend was true; once we witnessed the fire, all our woes would be gone with him. I was skeptical, to say the least. My scientist was in the middle of a major glitch in his accelerator at the time; damned if he didn't have the problem licked two months later. I insisted it was only the power of positive thinking. I didn't know about that particular power anymore. If you could make something real just by sheer will, I wouldn't be alone right now.

I reached my destination and stepped inside the little church. It was cooler there, a healing balm against the heat outside...and elsewhere. There had been so many changes since Sam started leaping. The most remarkable to me was my reintroduction to God. I hadn't expected an answer that first time I'd prayed, but was grateful each and every time it worked. There were certain things I was afraid to ask for, my faith still too vulnerable to handle rejection. As long as I kept it on my terms, I thought I could handle it. As long as Sam stayed safe...

"You _are_ an angel!"

I spun around at the sound of the voice so close. I'd been called an angel many times, but sure never felt like one. God sent an angel to look after Sam? I almost laughed at the notion. My reasons weren't all that pure. I needed him too much.

The woman who'd spoken was staring at me, transfixed. Hit by the weirdest sense of deja vu, I watched as she reached out a shaky hand and touched me tentatively on the shoulder...and collapsed.

I caught her before she hit the ground, easing her down to one of the pews. Too much Fiesta? She was young, early twenties, with long brown hair. I tried to place her face, couldn't. "Are you okay, honey?"

"I..." She stared as if seeing a ghost. "I'm not sure..."

"Maybe it's the weather, it's awfully hot." I patted her hand, feeling oddly protective. "You just rest here for a minute."

"I'm sorry," she began slowly. "You must think, well, I can imagine what you must think."

"You don't even know me, how do you know what I think?" I chided, trying to bring some of the color back to her face with humor. "I'm Al Calavicci."

"Al...I have to go!" She jumped up and ran out of the building.

I followed, totally perplexed by the stranger. "Hey, wait!" I grabbed her. "What is it?"

The way she stared into my eyes unnerved me totally. "I'm Theresa, Theresa Bruckner. The little girl you sang to sleep with 'Inch Worm.'"

"Theresa?" I whispered, shock getting the best of me. My mind slipped away for a coffee break.

"It is you, I can tell by your reaction!"

She was on the verge of hysteria and getting odd looks from passersby, so I led her toward the cafe next door. "Shh, calm down. Let's go have a drink and talk."

XXX

After disposing of a whiskey sour, Theresa seemed more in control. Unfortunately, that meant she was sitting patiently, waiting for me to explain how I'd managed to appear in 1981, as an angel friend to the man who replaced her mother for a few days. I desperately tried to come up with a plausible excuse, but the intelligence in the eyes watching me so carefully told me it wouldn't be easy. Especially when everything inside of me was screaming to tell her the truth.

"I remember most of when you and Sam were there. I guess because it came at a time when I needed a daddy to have a crush on. After you left, they tried to convince me it was just a little girl's over-active imagination. You know, caused by the trauma of my father deserting the family. I just pretended to go along with it. In my heart, I knew."

I thought over my options. It wouldn't be hard for Theresa to find out about Dr. Sam Beckett, now that she had my full name to connect us. A quantum physicist and an admiral with an extensive scientific background...it wouldn't take much detective work, even if she didn't figure out the whole story. Maybe I was just rationalizing, but I couldn't find a reason to lie.

As if reading my thoughts, Theresa continued in a firm tone. "So while you're trying to think of a way to convince me I'm just crazy, know that I won't let it alone, 'Mr. Calavicci'. Bizarre, yes, but real. And I'll find out, one way or the other."

I recognized the stubborn determination, it was the same kind I'd seen in Sam more times than I wanted to remember. I didn't stand a chance. "I don't want to make you think you're crazy, Theresa. But I can't tell you anything."

"Then I guess I'll see how much I can find out on my own!"

The indignant anger in Theresa's voice was also laced with hurt. Her own angel was turning on her. No, I wasn't handling it well. Naturally it was important to her, but I also ached; it meant more to me than I understood. I grabbed her arm. "Now, you listen here, munchkin!" I successfully stunned her into silence, so I continued, trying to convey my sincerity. "I didn't say I don't _want_ to tell you."

"Something top secret, then. Scientific?"

There was nothing else to do. I nodded.

"But why us?"

"That wasn't...planned." She was one smart cookie. I found myself proud of the way she'd turned out, even though the brief time I was there couldn't have had anything to do with it. It hurt to be squaring off like enemies.

"An experiment gone wrong then?"

I swore under my breath. The bond which had formed between us in that brief time hadn't faded over the years, I could tell we both felt it. It made the situation especially hard for me. Not to mention the fact that she was getting me in my blind spot, so much like Sam. "Very wrong, I guess."

"How is Sam?"

"He's...okay. Keeping busy." I didn't want to get into anything heavy until we had more of a chance to get re-acquainted. I studied the girl before me, amazed. It was strange to be seeing a grown up woman when only a year ago I'd been singing her to sleep, but I'd gotten used to getting used to the strange... "How's the family?" I asked.

"They're good. Susan's a marketing analyst for Universal Studios, with a family of her own. Kev's got a stand up comedy act in Reno. The money's not great, but it pays the bills, and he's happy with his life. Finally."

"Comedy?" I chuckled. "He did have the talent. Did he stay with Jackie?"

"No, he..." Theresa paused as if weighing her words, then seemed to reach a decision. "He's gay."

I had the feeling I was being tested. It brought a lump to my throat to realize what I thought was important to her. Maybe that small amount of time had made a difference after all. "I'm glad he got his life together. How's Mom?"

"Remarried four years ago, to a nice guy."

"So you grew up without a father."

Theresa leaned forward. "I had two of them -- the best."

"But..." I cleared my throat. "We were only there two days..."

"Not in my mind."

XXX

We ended up ordering dinner. I found out she was in college in New Mexico, majoring in physics and minoring in psychology. I told her it was a strange combination, and it got me a lecture about how the two fields shouldn't be separated.

Her family being so spread apart was difficult, but her studies were the most important thing to her at the moment. She was at a turning point, trying to decide what area to specialize in, and hoped coming to Fiesta would provide the answers. It seemed we were both on our own private quests.

Dinner was over before I knew it, and we found ourselves on a bench outside, absorbing the atmosphere around us. I felt a tentative arm slip through mine and tightened my grip, smiling in encouragement.

"Al, why was I the only one that saw you?"

"Because you were under five, and existed in a pure alpha state." As she digested that, I sat back. The cool night air brought more memories, but very pleasant ones. I sighed. "I wish Sam could be here with us." I hadn't realized I'd spoken aloud until Theresa answered.

"What's wrong? I can tell something is. Where is he?"

I decided to take a lesson from Sam, and follow my instincts. I desperately needed to talk to someone. "Trapped in the past, leaping around in other people's lives. And I can't bring him home," I heard my voice break. "It's been so long, and..." faltering, I fought to control my emotions. Everything that had been building up recently was threatening to spill over. "Funny how you can miss someone, even when you see them almost every day."

"I should've guessed," she whispered. "You didn't age a bit. How long has it been since you've seen me?"

"About a year." Her eyes reflected inner conflict. Hell, it was hard enough for me to get used to. "All I can do for him is appear as a hologram. Why can't I do something?!" I yelled in frustration.

Theresa slipped her hand into mine and squeezed. "I want to help."

I could tell she'd already made up her mind, was just informing me of what she intended to do. "I can't ask you to."

"You aren't asking, I'm telling. I'll be graduating soon, and I have the scientific background. Maybe this was meant to happen, us meeting here like this. Maybe I can contribute something. If it weren't for the two of you... I want to help bring Sam home."

"You don't owe us anything," I insisted.

"You kept your promise," she told me quietly. The promise that she would see me again, one day.

Theresa was right. What possessed me to make a promise like that I'll never know, but I had, and I'd been serious. Somehow it was a promise meant to be kept. Maybe in the end it was true, you couldn't fight was what really meant to be.

I just hoped Sam's coming home was one of those things. That, I _would_ pray for. "Just remember, munchkin, I'm not really an angel."

She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. "Oh yes, you are."

XXX

We chatted for hours with the familiarity of old friends who know nothing about each other, filling in on the past, discussing the future. Then when it was time for the ceremony, we went over to watch the burning of Zozobra.

Eyes on the flames reaching up into the night sky, I saw Sam's face, smiling. He had led me there, and I'd found the strength which had almost deserted me. The hope and enthusiasm I'd lost had been returned to me, in the form of the youth and promise in a young girl's eyes.

Sam was right about Zozobra. Already I felt the despair of yesterday lifting away on the wind. I was looking forward to facing the future.

And I couldn't wait to see Sam's face when I told him who our newest staff member was...

_"I don't wanna go_  
 _but I'm gonna come back_  
 _I don't know when,_  
 _but I'll come back..._  
 _Promise."_  
\--Al, from “Another Mother”


End file.
